ACL Tear Specialist

What is the ACL?

Your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a band of strong tissue connecting your femur (bone in your upper leg) to your tibia (one of the bones in your shin). This ligament prevents the tibia from sliding in front of the femur, and it works with other ligaments in the knee to prevent the joint from rotating. 

What is an ACL tear?

It’s relatively easy to tear or overstretch your ACL while exercising or playing sports, especially if you twist or hyperextend the knee joint with force. You can also injure your ACL from direct contact, like being tackled in football or getting in a car accident. 

The moment you experience an ACL tear, you may hear or feel a pop. Other symptoms include:

• Swelling
• Inability to use your knee
• Instability
• Severe pain

You should seek treatment right away if you think you have an ACL tear. At Denver Metro Orthopedics, P.C., Dr. Schwappach evaluates the joint with a physical exam, and he might recommend an X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan for a better view of the ligament itself. 

He may also order an arthroscopy or stress test to assess the damage. 

How are ACL tears treated?

Treating an ACL tear usually requires both surgical and nonsurgical approaches in tandem. At Denver Metro Orthopedics, P.C., the provider aim to help you make a full recovery so you can use your knee as you did before the injury, and you have a better chance of restoring your full mobility if you’re a young athlete at the time of your injury.

For the nonsurgical portion of treatment, you should follow the rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) protocol. This controls pain and swelling, and wearing a knee brace can help stabilize the knee. Furthermore, Dr. Schwappach typically recommends physical therapy to strengthen your knee. 

To repair an ACL tear, he performs minimally invasive ACL reconstruction surgery using an arthroscope. An arthroscope is a long, pencil-like camera with a light at the end that enters a joint through a small incision. The camera projects a live, high-quality image of the inner knee onto a nearby screen. 

Through other small incisions, Dr. Schwappach works with small surgical instruments to replace the torn ligament with a tissue graft from elsewhere in your body. He harvest the graft from either your patellar tendon in the knee or your hamstring muscle in the back of your leg. 

For a full assessment and expert treatment of your ACL tear, call Denver Metro Orthopedics, P.C., or reserve your appointment online today.